PS3 and Xbox 360 Elite Multimedia Capabilities?

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Firasco

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#1 Firasco
Member since 2009 • 25 Posts

I know many many people before me had the same problem: PS3 or Xbox 360 Elite? I've been searching the net for comparisons and reviews, which made it even harder for me to decided as I discover more and more advantages and disadvantages of each system. Why not the best of both worlds?

Well, I think I'm not mistaken by stating that the PS3 is hardware-wise far superior to the Xbox (Elite) and offers FREE online gaming (right?). When I discovered the Xbox didn't even have WiFi, nor Bluetooth I was kind of shocked - I didn't even care about Blu-Ray. However, the Xbox Elite has a bigger community, bigger HDD, includes HDMI cable, headset, cheaper - and here comes MY major point - has better multimedia capabilities (?). It connects with a Windows Home Server or Windows Media Center really easily and the interface is smooth and intuitive. Streaming anything becomes a piece of cake. I generally like Microsoft products and how they are compatible to each other.

So my question now: is the PS3 really inferior compared to the Elite in terms of multimedia/streaming capabilities? Can I still enjoy the content I have on my PC on my PS3 just as easily and nicely via Windows Media Center (or the like)? As you can see, I want to use the PS3 (or Elite) mainly as a multimedia center which bridges the gap between PC and TV.. so which one is better suited for that purpose?

Your answers will sway my purchasing decision.

Thanks

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dthach614

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#2 dthach614
Member since 2008 • 804 Posts
btw the xbox 360 can only play a small amount of certain video files.
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Eddie-Vedder

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#3 Eddie-Vedder
Member since 2003 • 7810 Posts
I don't see how it's inferior, it does everything the 360 does, plus has free online, web browser which you can stream tons of content online from places like Hulu.com, youtube etc, it has Blu Ray the format winner, which all signs point to being the next DVD, plus it's the best Blu Ray player on the market cause of the ability to upgrade firmware or something like that, bluetooth, keyboard and mouse support, the console itself has a bunch of usb ports, card reader's and stuff like that. Plus the Hard Drive can be switched with any brand harddrive, with the 360 you have to get the MS one, which is absurdly overpriced.
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T-Aldous

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#4 T-Aldous
Member since 2006 • 1244 Posts
I have 'em both and have to say that the multimedia capabilities are close to the same. The 360 has netflix which can be a big plus but, the PS3 will read almost any file on the PC (the 360 seems to only read what is in the windows media player on the PC) as far as videos go. The 360 will read almost anything put onto a thumbdrive though(the PS3 is alot pickier about it, only reading certain types of video files). And also, the PS3 does not have much of an advantage as far as power.
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red12355

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#5 red12355
Member since 2007 • 1251 Posts
I'd say they're pretty even. Only thing I'd worry about is the amount of noise the 360 makes. I hear it's quieter with the newer hardware revisions though.
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T-Aldous

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#6 T-Aldous
Member since 2006 • 1244 Posts
I'd say they're pretty even. Only thing I'd worry about is the amount of noise the 360 makes. I hear it's quieter with the newer hardware revisions though.red12355
That is true, the new ones are almost silent. One of my friends just bought one and it is quieter than my older 360 and my PS3 by alot.
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shawn7324

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#7 shawn7324
Member since 2006 • 8690 Posts
I'd say they're pretty even. Only thing I'd worry about is the amount of noise the 360 makes. I hear it's quieter with the newer hardware revisions though.red12355
Never noticed or understood the noise complaint. Anyways, I'd say PS3 because of its Blu-Ray player.
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SambaLele

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#8 SambaLele
Member since 2004 • 5552 Posts

The PS3 is the way to go.

Included WiFi, plays more video formats, can browse the web, can run Linux (which raises even more the media center functionality of the console, easy to change HDDs, compatible with any laptop HDD, card reader slots, plays Blu-Ray movies, etc...

The PS3 wins in any and every way there.

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PUG_NASTY

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#9 PUG_NASTY
Member since 2008 • 286 Posts
well...im on my ps3 typing this while listening to music and sending msgs back and forth with friends...have a few tabs open of other sites, can watch anything from bluray to youtube and all other vids on the web. my comp crashed so i use my ps3 for the web and i c no differences...the store is jam packed with content (trailers of all sorts, interviews, demos, dlc, amazing downloadable games), and its all displayed on my 50" sony lcd through hdmi. did i mention it has all the games i want? ....could use some jrpgs tho lol that will change tho
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johnlennon28

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#10 johnlennon28
Member since 2008 • 2158 Posts
I can stream media files from my laptop to my ps3 wirelessly and browse the internet
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shawn7324

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#11 shawn7324
Member since 2006 • 8690 Posts
I thought everyone knew this answer already, Multimedia-PS3 Gaming-Xbox 360.
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KingAsmodai

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#12 KingAsmodai
Member since 2009 • 106 Posts
What a load of bullocks. If there's anything inferior in streaming terms here it's the 360. http://ps3mediaserver.blogspot.com/ This allows to play ALL known formats including MKV HD with subtitles(!!!) COMPLETELY on the fly on the PS3. It hasnt been done yet on the 360. And mods, before you edit or delete my post - that program is completely LEGAL.
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PUG_NASTY

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#13 PUG_NASTY
Member since 2008 • 286 Posts
I thought everyone knew this answer already, Multimedia-PS3 Gaming-Xbox 360.shawn7324
360 has 3 games that i want (LO, ME, SO4)...thats all...im fine with my ps3
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Firasco

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#14 Firasco
Member since 2009 • 25 Posts

I really didn't know the PS3 was better in terms of multimedia. All I had seen was Microsoft, advertising Windows and how compatible it is with the Xbox. I mean as a Vista user the natural choice I thought would be the Xbox, also from Microsoft, working hand in hand as it's from the same producer.

Read that article below and tell me what u think.

http://www.gwn.com/articles/article.php/id/884/title/Xbox_360_Elite_Versus_PS3.html

Is he right by saying

"For my money I think I would buy the Xbox 360 Elite over the PS3if I were standing in the store considering such a purchase today. I do think, however, that Microsoft could have added considerable bang for the buck if they truly wanted to make the system "elite" and really give Sony something to worry about.Why not include a rechargeable battery pack with the black controller as well as a charge and play cable? How about including a few full-version Xbox Live arcade games on the new, meaty hard drive? Maybe include a three-month freebie subscription to Xbox Live Gold? Add another $50 US to the price tag and throw in the HD-DVD drive. All of these things could have been done to make the Xbox 360 Elite really stand out as the obvious choice above the PS3. It may be a better choice right now anyway, but Microsoft has left room for that to change in the not too distant future when they really could have hammered that wooden box shut tight and still come in at a lower price point than the 60GB (and perhaps the 20GB) PS3 if they really wanted to. "

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Firasco

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#15 Firasco
Member since 2009 • 25 Posts
And is it true that the PS3 models in production right now 80, 160gb) dont have a card reader anymore?? And only 2 USB instead of 4? WTF
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imprezawrx500

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#16 imprezawrx500
Member since 2004 • 19187 Posts
wireless is overrated, wires are always better, no connection problems. if you didn't know a hdmi is $5 so that's a non issue. you can put a 500gb hdd in ps3 while x360 is limited to 120gb for the moment till ms feels the need for more and by that stage there will probably be 1tb laptop drives that you can put in the ps3.
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Firasco

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#17 Firasco
Member since 2009 • 25 Posts
So can anyone tell me if the new PS3 really has no card reader anymore?
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#18 GameHog9
Member since 2008 • 1052 Posts

I know many many people before me had the same problem: PS3 or Xbox 360 Elite? I've been searching the net for comparisons and reviews, which made it even harder for me to decided as I discover more and more advantages and disadvantages of each system. Why not the best of both worlds?

Well, I think I'm not mistaken by stating that the PS3 is hardware-wise far superior to the Xbox (Elite) and offers FREE online gaming (right?). When I discovered the Xbox didn't even have WiFi, nor Bluetooth I was kind of shocked - I didn't even care about Blu-Ray. However, the Xbox Elite has a bigger community, bigger HDD, includes HDMI cable, headset, cheaper - and here comes MY major point - has better multimedia capabilities (?). It connects with a Windows Home Server or Windows Media Center really easily and the interface is smooth and intuitive. Streaming anything becomes a piece of cake. I generally like Microsoft products and how they are compatible to each other.

So my question now: is the PS3 really inferior compared to the Elite in terms of multimedia/streaming capabilities? Can I still enjoy the content I have on my PC on my PS3 just as easily and nicely via Windows Media Center (or the like)? As you can see, I want to use the PS3 (or Elite) mainly as a multimedia center which bridges the gap between PC and TV.. so which one is better suited for that purpose?

Your answers will sway my purchasing decision.

Yes,i know for a fact that you can stream content between a PC and a PS3. How dont ask me, Ive never tried it.

However, the max HDD on the 360 is 120, whereas the PS3 can hold any 2.5 inch internal. Thus, I recently upgraded to 500GB and now have the extra 80GB that came with the system. Im planning on buying a $20 inclosure to turn that now-useless 80GB into a portable HDD.

So far I have lots of movies, including Pirates 1,2,3 and Mrs. Doubtfire and all the seasons of Avatar and Fullmetal Alchemist. I dont have a lot of music on it (around 2GB) but I may backup my entire library on it, which would be close to 8GB. I have thousands of photos on there... dont know how much space it is, but I dont think its that much, considering they are mostly JPEG

So far I think I have 396 or something GB left. I think. Im getting DSL soon which means ill be accessing PSN and download games like Fat Pricess (TBA) and inFlow.

Overall, I prefer the XMB to the xbox interface since I find it more elegant and firendly. The Xbox interface relies on "slides." Ive never liked slides, I cant see everything at once. The XMB does just that, it displays everything at my fingertips.

Overall, I prefer the PS3. Its the best for multimedia, in my low and humble opinion.

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gmastersexay

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#19 gmastersexay
Member since 2003 • 3831 Posts
And is it true that the PS3 models in production right now 80, 160gb) dont have a card reader anymore?? And only 2 USB instead of 4? WTFFirasco
The system does not need 4 usb ports. You would be lucky to use 2 of them. If you really need a card reader you can add one via the usb ports.
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J_Swayze

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#20 J_Swayze
Member since 2007 • 493 Posts
Just bought a 250GB HDD for my 60GB PS3 and I can't even install it. The darn screws will not come out of the Harddrive tray. Good thing that Sony will send me a new Harddrive tray for FREE.
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#21 J_Swayze
Member since 2007 • 493 Posts
[QUOTE="Firasco"]And is it true that the PS3 models in production right now 80, 160gb) dont have a card reader anymore?? And only 2 USB instead of 4? WTFgmastersexay
The system does not need 4 usb ports. You would be lucky to use 2 of them. If you really need a card reader you can add one via the usb ports.

I use all four of mines; My wireless keyboard, External HDD, Mic, and one for recharging the controller
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T-Aldous

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#22 T-Aldous
Member since 2006 • 1244 Posts
So can anyone tell me if the new PS3 really has no card reader anymore?Firasco
It is true, the new PS3's do not have any card readers of any kind. They now only have 2 usb ports and cannot play PS2 games. I hope that clears it up for you.
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Firasco

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#23 Firasco
Member since 2009 • 25 Posts
Are you saying I can plugin any standard USB cardreader and use it? That would be amazing. I thought I need to buy a PS3 specific card reader..
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#24 sakuragi007
Member since 2007 • 156 Posts
The multimedia capabilities is just terrible for both machines, the divx decoder on the 360 is terrible, no mkv hd support without conversion, no ntfs support even in the 360 wich is a microsoft system, frankly just buy a popcorn or use a pc wich is head and shoulder the best option for a multimedia device, no conversion crap, no file size limits, just install the right codecs and you are done.
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Firasco

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#25 Firasco
Member since 2009 • 25 Posts

That's an interesting view and you might even be right. Installing WHS on a PC and off you go.. but then again I also wanted a gaming console and PC's which can play the latest games are usually expensive, with expensive graphic cards..

Hmm

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Firasco

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#26 Firasco
Member since 2009 • 25 Posts
I just came back from the CeBIT 2009 in Germany. I saw that the XBOX menu had received an update and now doesnt have those tabs anymore, but rather looks like sony menu
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#27 El-Visitante
Member since 2007 • 1137 Posts

I just came back from the CeBIT 2009 in Germany. I saw that the XBOX menu had received an update and now doesnt have those tabs anymore, but rather looks like sony menuFirasco
Wow, welcome to November '08. Any way, I have both and I absolutely love the PS3's Blu-Ray player and the web browser (although redundant imo) is a neat feature for those who use it. I have to say I prefer my Elite for media though for one simple reason, Windows Media Center. If you have the feature and haven't tried it, you're doing yourself a disservice.

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#28 Darth_Stalin
Member since 2005 • 8681 Posts

I can stream media files from my laptop to my ps3 wirelessly and browse the internetjohnlennon28
The internet browser on the PS3 kinda blows, and the 360 can stream video from a PC too and do Windows media center.......But I would give the edge to the PS3 just because of Blu-Ray. The 360's netflix makes it hard to choose which one I prefer though.

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#29 PoppaGamer
Member since 2009 • 1629 Posts
PS3, hands down, has the best media capabilities. It supports the most formats, you can use the media server feature (just like 360 but with TVersity or regular WMP, I recommend TVersity), great photo features (I am totally serious, they are cool as hell if you like taking photographs), and blu-ray. Yes, 360 has netflix it can stream. But don't think you'll be getting quality when compared to blu-ray. You can watch near that quality in the internet browser at a site like Hulu for free. You can also pay Netflix for blu-ray rentals to be delivered to your door. So, I think that feature is nulled out when you look at the PS3's abilities.
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#30 EmperorSupreme
Member since 2006 • 7686 Posts
[QUOTE="PoppaGamer"]PS3, hands down, has the best media capabilities. It supports the most formats, you can use the media server feature (just like 360 but with TVersity or regular WMP, I recommend TVersity), great photo features (I am totally serious, they are cool as hell if you like taking photographs), and blu-ray. Yes, 360 has netflix it can stream. But don't think you'll be getting quality when compared to blu-ray. You can watch near that quality in the internet browser at a site like Hulu for free. You can also pay Netflix for blu-ray rentals to be delivered to your door. So, I think that feature is nulled out when you look at the PS3's abilities.

What you said , but also you can stream Netflix on PS3 using PlayOn. I use it all the time and it works great. It also makes it easy to stream Hulu, CNN and ESPN. I love the photo feature on PS3 as well it's a lot of fun to look thru old photos with friends and family.
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#31 Senor_Kami
Member since 2008 • 8529 Posts
PS3 has Blu-Ray built-in. 360 has Netflix built-in. For other sites, its best to use PlayOn cuz the 360 has no browser and everyone i've talked to or heard always says that Hulu via the PS3 browser is crapped compared to using Hulu via PlayOn for the PS3. Netflix via PlayOn isn't as good as just using the 360's built-in, but as long as you aren't trying to fast forward, rewind or resume videos, its usable. In all honesty, i'd say go with the PS3 cuz of Blu-Ray. No matter what you buy, you'll need PlayOn for Hulu and other sites until some company includes robust support out of the box. As far as formats, the two are basically equal. No MKV support so anything that you'd download that would like nice won't play on either machine natively. If you download a MP4, DivX/XviD or WMV, it plays fine on both machines. The PS3 supports an extra format, but basically nothing is released in it and you have to do some remuxing from a MKV. But theres a program for 360 that can remux the same source content (MKV) so its no biggie.
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CubanBlunt

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#32 CubanBlunt
Member since 2005 • 2025 Posts

http://www.thenokiaguide.com/my_weblog/2008/02/playstation-3-n.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Living_Network_Alliance

The PS3 is DNLA certified.

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asylumni

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#33 asylumni
Member since 2003 • 3304 Posts
[QUOTE="Senor_Kami"]PS3 has Blu-Ray built-in. 360 has Netflix built-in. For other sites, its best to use PlayOn cuz the 360 has no browser and everyone i've talked to or heard always says that Hulu via the PS3 browser is crapped compared to using Hulu via PlayOn for the PS3. Netflix via PlayOn isn't as good as just using the 360's built-in, but as long as you aren't trying to fast forward, rewind or resume videos, its usable. In all honesty, i'd say go with the PS3 cuz of Blu-Ray. No matter what you buy, you'll need PlayOn for Hulu and other sites until some company includes robust support out of the box. As far as formats, the two are basically equal. No MKV support so anything that you'd download that would like nice won't play on either machine natively. If you download a MP4, DivX/XviD or WMV, it plays fine on both machines. The PS3 supports an extra format, but basically nothing is released in it and you have to do some remuxing from a MKV. But theres a program for 360 that can remux the same source content (MKV) so its no biggie.

Additionally, the thing that's been bugging me lately is the 360's lack of a decent surround sound option for videos streamed from my PC. The best it supports is Dolby Pro Logic, where the PS3 supports discreet AAC (personally I'd rather keep it in Dolby Digital or DTS, but it's at least a decent alternative).
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Firasco

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#34 Firasco
Member since 2009 • 25 Posts
in the meanwhile i have done a lot more research and found out that the first gen xbox with the mod to run xbmc is the most powerful and cheapest solution with most multimedia capabilities. im not interested in games. its just a media extender. a cheap one and powerful. check out this post http://lifehacker.com/software/geek-to-live/transform-your-classic-xbox-into-a-killer-media-center-299809.php another alternative it just buying and htpc. there i can run and do pretty much anything. including all video format support in an elegant box... what do u guys think? anyone had experience with htpc?